Dandalin Matasa initiative for Rapid Development has cautioned Gombe State House of Assembly against passing into Law, an executive bill for the ‘Establishment of Joint Projects Development Agency’ between Local Governments and State.
Faculty Officer of the group Benjamin Dangoma disclosed the group’s resolve in an interview with our correspondent on Tuesday in Gombe.
He said the executive bill is geared towards granting the state government absolute control of the eleven local governments financial expenditure.
Dangoma dismissed the notion that the bill seeks transparency and will encourage voluntary mutual collaboration between state and local governments, adding that it will make local councils appendage of Gombe state government.
According to him, “The government wants to have absolute control over the local governments, over their financial expenditure. You are talking about commissioners forming part of the board, you are talking about the governor chairing the board, and you are talking about establishing an agency that will have a DG that can be fired at any time by the governor.
“The procedure for hiring and firing is not clearly stated in the bill, this means the governor can just decide on whom to appoint or remove especially if you are not doing his bidding as it relates with a local government. It is not true that you can voluntarily join as a council, as you know we don’t have council elections in the state. So because of their mode of selection no chairman can decline participation.”
In a separate reaction Secretary Board of Trustees Tangale Community Association Dr. Daniel Maddo said the group will take the house to court if it passes the executive bill, he termed ‘an illegal document’.
He said, “This bill is illegal and against the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria anything done against it will fail. The guarantee of the LGA’s as a third tier of government, they are trying to kill the third tier of government. The Accountant of the agency is the Accountant General of the state, so they have virtually collapsed two tiers of government into one. If they dare pass this law we will test it in court, to see if it will stand. Why are the local governments in perpetual poverty is because the state government is always dipping hand into their treasury, directing them on what to do and not allowing them to operate.”
Meanwhile the Attorney General of the state and commissioner for Justice Barr. Zubair Umar in his reaction debunked the allegation that LGAs will be forced to contribute and participate.
“We are not going to force any local government directly or indirectly to join this agency. Before now local government projects were executed by the state government, which was the policy for years. So we thought it should become a law, let’s us all agree. With a law now you can sue a state government, local government for failing but as it is now where will you lay your hand now if anything goes wrong and say this is,” Umar stated.
